This fast-moving thriller is bound to keep readers guessing about what the real story is behind the murder of a local couple and the man accused of the crime.

Laura Chambers has just completed a newspaper update announcing that Simon Barrow aka "The Shotgun Slayer" is scheduled to die for the murder of Robert and Linda Merritt. Their daughter, Emily, had been a childhood friend of Laura's. Once the murder occured, Emily was whisked away to a distant relative and Laura never heard from her again.

But a death on the highway brings the local law enforcement to the doorstep of Laura and she begins to wonder if the young woman might possibly be her friend Emily. But why would she return after all these years? And why does her mother want her to leave things alone? Add in the fact that Laura is at odds with Sheriff Witley, who is convinced she knows more than she is telling.

My one concern with the book is that there was one character who was also murdered, but I don't feel like there was a clear connection between that murder and the rest of the story. But other than that small piece, readers who enjoy thrillers will no doubt be happy they picked up this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for this early copy.

What lies beneath, big, big secrets and lies. Laura is a journalist in a small America town but the town has its secrets and after many years the secrets start bubbling to the surface. Who can Laura trust and are the secrets too close to home for comfort.

Tense, suspenseful and well written with many unexpected twists. I enjoyed this book and will look for future books

I can't speak highly enough about this , what a ride!!! This is what a murder mystery book should be. Its got so many twists and turns that you are kept guessing g the whole way through. I loved how many subplots and little side stories were wrapped into the main story and that the clues and reveals were constantly dripped in throughout the book. Just when you think you've figured out one thing, there's something else to try and discover. It really does keep you engaged throughout and never feels stale or dragged out. This really is perfect for just binging on q Sunday afternoon with the fire burning and cuddled up in a blanket. Really enjoyable

4/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Laura Chambers Mystery written by JG Hetherton. I was a little worried that I had not read the first instalment before taking on this book, but references to the events of the previous novel were minimal and this story can stand on its own very well.

This pulse pounding story follows Laura through only a couple of weeks of her return to her hometown of Hillsborough, North Carolina; a small town with lots of secrets. The police find a scantily clad woman killed by a truck on the highway. Although her face has been disfigured by the accident, the police are certain that Laura knows who she is. The woman’s cell phone shows many calls to Laura’s number before her life so tragically ended. Unfortunately, Laura never got to speak to the woman and has no clue as to her identity.

The reporter in Laura cannot leave the investigation to the police alone, and she digs into the deceased woman’s thin threads of history. It seems that she is always just ahead of the police in her investigation and she finds much more than she bargained for. Her own history is entwined with the dead woman’s and parts of her childhood turn out to be not as she had interpreted them.

The action never stops and the reader is pulled along while Laura finds details of an old crime and gets to put things right. The twists and turns in this well-crafted story take you in so many unexpected directions. This is a very satisfying read. I will definitely be reading the first Laura Chambers Mystery and hope that there are many more to follow.

What Lies Beneath by J G Hetherton is a thriller based around a reporter called Laura Chambers. She is initially dragged into a hit and run case where she is considered a suspect and while she works to clear her name she finds more and more clues that point to something much deeper and darker than first thought.

I enjoyed this book and its the first in a while where I couldn't see where it was headed. It was a little slow at times, however keep me intrigued as more and more information and clues surfaced.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Holy cow! This book is a non-stop ride that ends in a way I never saw coming! Once again, I was intrigued because it sounded like a good mystery story. I was not disappointed. I did not realize that this is the second book in a series but I didn't find it hard to follow along anyway. As far as I knew it was a standalone. Honestly the way this book ended I am glad to find out it is a series.

Laura Chambers is a reporter who is working on a story about a murder that happened when she was 8 years old. Dubbed The Shotgun Slayer, Simon Barrow murdered a couple, the Merritts, and has been on death row for the last 20 years. He never once confessed or gave up any information as to why he murdered them. Their daughter Emily, also 8 at the time, managed to escape and hide in the woods. Laura is back in town visiting her mother when there is a freak storm that takes out the electricity and cell tower near her. Once back on, she has a message from a local cop asking her to join him at the scene of an accident. She arrives at the scene, a woman, maimed by a truck and beyond recognition on the highway. Confused as to why she's there, she finds out hers was the last number this woman dialed before she was killed. Asked to identify her body, Laura looks and says she has no idea who this person is.

Laura will soon discover this woman has a connection to her past that is intertwined with a dark secret amongst her family and the Merritt family. As she starts to dig deeper into who this woman was, they discover she'd been shot first before running barefoot into the woods and ending up being hit on a highway. So many questions start to surface. Who was this woman and what is her connection to Laura? Why was she shot? Could this be Emily Merritt? After finding a photo album the woman had hidden in her hotel room the plot deepens. The photo album contains a number of photos of Laura's family, the Chambers and of the Merritts. Laura has no recollection of their families being close. In fact, after they died, she was told she could never talk about Emily being her best friend. Why did this woman have this album and why can't she remember their families being so close? Why did her parents hide their relationship?

The past has come back to haunt not only Laura but the town itself. As she dives deeper into this mystery things get hairy. She starts being followed, is shot at and almost killed and then almost framed for a murder she didn't commit. Can she find out who the real killer is, who the woman is and what the connection is to her own father who disappeared right after the murder of the Merritt family before it's too late?

I really enjoyed this story. It is fast paced and action packed. I stayed up until 3 am to finish it. I could not put it down. I had to find out all the answers I needed. For the most part they were answered. The story wrapped up nicely. I like the character of Laura and I look forward to, hopefully, more about her. The story kind of ends on a cliff hanger so I'm really hoping we find out what was in the letter her father left her. All in all, a great mystery thriller that will have you guessing and not wanting to stop until you have the answers yourself.

This is the second book in the series to A Laura Chambers Novel What Lies Beneath by JG Hetherton. It is fine as a stand alone and does not affect its genuineness. It is a fast paced, well-written crime story with the depiction of Laura as a reporter. In the hills of North Carolina, "Shotgun Slayer Barrow" has been on death row for 20 years for the killing of Robert & Linda Merrit. When a mangled woman beyond recognition is found on the highway, the connection is made with her last phone call to Laura. Without knowledge of who she is and Laura never taking the call, the tension between the sheriff and Laura rises. This would not be the first rodeo she has had with the police.
Laura's presence is a reminder of a dark past in this little town. Her dad's PTSD contributed by Vietnam and his connection with the family killed is a dispatch of clues but connecting the dots becomes tedious and his disappearance creates an edge of the seat thriller. The Merrit's little girl, Emily, was one of Laura's closet friends, but after their murder, they were never to mention Emily's existence in their house again.
So many red herrings and unexpected twists that you will have this read in one setting. It gives you the feeling of discomfort, suspense and a thrill that engages you in a wild chase through a cornfield fighting for Laura's life.
Thanks NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this title in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fast-paced read following a journalist, Laura Chambers, as she begins investigating a dangerous web. She doesn’t realize how complex (or dangerous) the case will be when she starts looking into it, but quickly realizes.

J. G. Hetherton skillfully created this web, allowing for small parts of information to come out piece by piece. Although, sometimes the story did drag a bit for me.

This is the second of two books in a series involving Laura Chambers, an investigative reporter who has returned to her small town in central North Carolina. While this certainly is a book you can read as a stand alone, I recommend you start with the first book of the series, "Last Girl Gone." I suggest this because Hetherton's writing is so worth reading and there are definite references to the past (first book) in "What Lies Beneath." I knew right away that this would be part thriller, part heartbreaking, part just lovely, lovely writing. Laura grew up on a 100 acre farm that abutted her friend Emily Merritt's 100 acre farm. Laura's father was a drunk with PTSD from serving in Vietnam, but she fiercely loved him and learned from him about hunting, how not to get lost in a cornfield and about making her way in the world, no matter what it throws at her. She is only semi-successful at this. Her now asthmatic mother has always been indifferent, narcissistic and hard on Laura. To eight year old Laura, the Merritts were picture perfect, kind and loving.with both Emily and Laura. Both families lives are hardscrabble. When the girls are eight, they are separated by a tragedy and we are brought to present day Hillsborough. The local newspaper editor, Bass is thrilled to have a talented and experienced staffer and gives Laura a long leash. At the outset, Laura is following and writing about the imminent execution of the "Shotgun Slayer," a man who spent twenty years on death row and has reached the end of his appeals. Her interests abruptly turn to a new story when Laura is called to an accident scene to identify the victim. The last number the victim called was Laura's and Laura has no idea who she is. Laura's past investigative work has not endeared her to one of the local police officers and none of them are her buddies. One is outright hostile to her. She catches up with a close friend who is retired from the force. He has a bloodhound. Together, they begin to find pieces of information leading to a very, very well kept secret that puts them in danger. At first, I thought the mystery was going to be too obvious. Every single clue is there but the resolution is definitely not obvious. Several of the characters are richly drawn and the writing is so good I finished this book in less than a day. I love the complex use of language, some parts that are lyrical and references that show the writer is a deep thinker. But it is an easy book to read. As perfect as it gets in my world: sophisticated but not a slog. I am very very stingy with five stars but realized I liked this that much. I've also secured a copy of the first book and hope Hetherton writes and publishes anything at all because he deserves our attention. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of this yet to be published book. Quick! Get the first one so you are ready for this.

Wow! What an exciting and action-packed mystery! Laura Chambers, a reporter who moves back to the Deep South from Boston, has a reputation and is intensely disliked by the police, several in particular. Before she moved north, she interviewed a man convicted of murder and awaiting execution, who is still waiting. She investigates a woman who ran into a truck and is maimed and unidentifiable. Laura is brash and fearless and hunts down every last clue like a dog. She grew up here, her mother still lives here in very ill health and very unloving towards her daughter, who visits and tries to help her, only to be pushed away, as she has all her life. Her father died when she was a child. Her parents were not forthcoming with the truth of their family or her neighbors, information which came as a shock near the end. She remembers her childhood in bits and spurts, and has a vast list of resources to help her figure out the truth, which goes back to - yep, her childhood. The more she delves into the past, the more she remembers. It comes to some very dark conclusions that involve people most never would have given a second thought to. I read this in two sittings, and woke up early to finish it. The characters were clear and the writing concise, and the plot went places I never would have imagined. If you like action mysteries, you will enjoy this book. 4 solid stars.
Thank you to Netgalley, J. G. Hetherton, and Crooked Lane Publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Laura Chambers is a journalist that has recently moved back to her hometown and published an article about a murder case that rocked the NC town. She is pulled into the mystery of a woman that was killed in a car accident and as she discovers more and more about who the victim is, things from the past bubble up as well. Is everything they know about the murders wrong?

I never really connected with this book. I felt like it dragged on a bit and even though the mystery was interesting, it just didn't pull me in like other books I've read. I didn't realize this was the second book in a series, so sometimes things that happened in the first book didn't really click with me. I had a hard time staying with the plot because it seemed to move slowly. The main character was also very stand-offish and dour, and it made it difficult to really get to know her. None of the characters resonated with me. Overall, it was a decent book, but not one I would recommend or fawn over.

The past has come back to haunt you. Laura lost her best friend Emily when they were both young. Laura thinks of her fondly but she wishes that things had turned out differently for both families. A young woman has been involved in a fatal accident and the local police thinks that Laura knows who it is. But she has no idea but she is going to find out why she had tried to call her before her death. But Laura knows that she has to be careful as she isn’t liked by the police and she needs to find the truth. But what does Emily have to do with anything? The past was meant to stay where it was but everything is coming out and Laura doesn’t know how to stop it all. Will she find the answers that she has been looking for or is it all too late? A great solid read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Laura Chambers is a reporter of some note, she reported on a murderer who is now on death row. His time is short until he will be put to death for the grisly murders of two people. She was also the original reporter who published an article that brought both her and the murderer some notoriety at the time of the murders.

Police are after Laura when a woman is hit by a truck and mangled beyond recognition. The police know the woman placed her last phone call to Laura.

Laura seems truly confused why the police would think she has any knowledge of the woman or the event that killed her. The novel unravels details as Laura remembers. She still does not understand why the woman would spend her last moment trying to contact her.

It is a dangerous endeavor trying solve this mystery. The book is suspenseful and intriguing.
It is a great read, it is full of surprises and well written. I would definitely read more novels about Laura Chambers or novels written by J.G. Hetherton.

Thank you so much for my ARC!
I will feature the book on my Instagram blog @thrillers_and_unicorns on December 18. I will also post my review there and tag Netgalley, the author, and the publisher in both posts. As soon as I finished reading, I will share my review with you via Netgally as well as post it on Amazon and Goodreads.

Best regards,
Sandie

Crooked Lane Books...
I seriously love y'all😘
Thank You for this eARC!

First off I need to buy book one! Because I seriously enjoyed reading The Laura Chambers Mystery #2 and need Last Girl Gone book 1.
Hate going backwards but it is what it is!

What Lies Beneath by J. G. Hetherton was such an excellent story!
I was captivated by this book and his writing I couldn't get enough of it!
The characters are interesting and the story is compelling enough that before you know it your halfway through the book and can't stop.
Laura is flawed but determined and I loved that about her!
This twisted story was phenomenal in ways I can't put into words.
Such a fast-paced, intriguing, amazing book.

Thank you again to the amazing publisher and NetGalley for this advance ebook!

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Mystery and mayhem...red herrings...surprises...characters who are likable and some not so much...this is a story one will remember...

I did not realize this was the second book in the series. I will have to read the first one in order to truly assess the series.

Investigative journalist Laura Chambers gets a panicked phone call from a woman who later turns up dead. It seems the woman ran right into the path of an oncoming truck and has been so maimed by the accident she is unidentifiable. In her possession is a photograph of Laura as a child, along with her father and a little girl she only remembers as an “imaginary friend” . Laura’s father died when she was just a child, so she can’t ask him to help sort out what are obviously false memories. Now with more questions than answers, Laura must use all her investigative skills to find out who she really is. This is another winner from Hetherton, an author fast making a name for herself on the thriller market